SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR REVERSE AUCTIONING

• US 20080262958A1
• Filed: 04/20/2007
• Published: 10/23/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: AT&T Knowledge Ventures, L.P. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Knowledge Ventures, L.P. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: KU, BERNARD, QIU, CHAOXIN C., YASREBI, MEHRAD
• Application Number:
  US11/738,325
• Publication Number:
  US 20080262958A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/37
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange

Abstract

A system and method for reverse auctioning is disclosed. A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a system comprising a controller element to receive from a communication device a request for information associated with one or more commercial enterprises situated in a vicinity of a location fix of the communication device, identify information of one or more commercial enterprises that substantially match the desired commercial enterprise type and that are in the vicinity of the location fix, and transmit to the communication device information of at least one of the one or more commercial enterprises identified for purposes of engaging in a reverse auction. Additional embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A computer-readable storage medium in a communication device, comprising computer instructions for:

transmitting to a system a request for information associated with one or more commercial enterprises situated in a vicinity of a location fix of the communication device, wherein the location fix and a desired commercial enterprise type is supplied with the request;

receiving from said system information associated with one or more commercial enterprises that substantially match the desired commercial enterprise type and that are in the vicinity of the location fix; and

submitting to at least one of said one or more commercial enterprises a reverse auction offer for a desired good or service.

2. The storage medium of claim 1, wherein the system is at least one among a location system and an auction system.

3. The storage medium of claim 1, wherein the enterprise type is at least one among a retail type, a restaurant type, and a utility type.

4. The storage medium of claim 1, wherein the location fix is based on a longitude and latitude coordinate or a Global Positioning System (GPS) reading.

5. The storage medium of claim 1, wherein the vicinity corresponds to a range from the location fix.

6. The storage medium of claim 1, wherein the information received from the system identifies at least one among a name of an enterprise, goods or services offered, store hours, available seating, and current discounts offered.

7. The storage medium of claim 1, wherein the information associated with each of the one or more commercial enterprises comprises at least one among a consumer opinion report of an independent third party, and a consumer opinion report of friends or family of an end user of the communication device, wherein said reports provide opinions on the desired goods or services offered by the one or more commercial enterprises.

8. The storage medium of claim 7, comprising computer instructions for retrieving the consumer opinion reports of friends and family according to a communication identifier associated with the communication device.

9. The storage medium of claim 1, comprising computer instructions for receiving a bid from each of at least one of the one or more commercial enterprises responsive to the reverse auction offer, wherein the bid identifies a price for the desired good or service.

10. The storage medium of claim 9, comprising computer instructions for receiving votes from multiple parties engaged in said reverse auction offer and accepting a winning bid according to the votes cast.

11. The storage medium of claim 10, comprising computer instructions for receiving a confirmation for the winning bid from the commercial enterprise submitting the winning bid.

12. The storage medium of claim 11, wherein the confirmation includes at least one among a reservation, a receipt, a map, and directions.

13. The storage medium of claim 9, comprising computer instructions for receiving a counteroffer from each of at least one of the one or more commercial enterprises responsive to the reverse auction offer.

14. The storage medium of claim 13, comprising computer instructions for receiving votes from multiple parties engaged in said reverse auction offer and accepting one of the counteroffers according to the votes cast.

15. A system, comprising a controller element to:

receive from a communication device a request for information associated with one or more commercial enterprises situated in a vicinity of a location fix of the communication device, wherein the location fix and a desired commercial enterprise type is supplied with the request;

identify information of one or more commercial enterprises that substantially match the desired commercial enterprise type and that are in the vicinity of the location fix; and

transmit to the communication device information of at least one of the one or more commercial enterprises identified for purposes of engaging in a reverse auction.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the controller element:

receives from the communication device a reverse auction offer for a desired good or service directed to at least one of the one or more commercial enterprises; and

transmits said reverse auction offer to the at least one of the one or more commercial enterprises.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the controller element:

receives a bid from at least one of the one or more commercial enterprises responsive to the reverse auction offer, wherein the bid identifies a price for the desired good or service; and

transmits to the communication device the bid of each of the at least one of the one or more commercial enterprises.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the controller element receives votes from multiple parties engaged in the reverse auction offer, informs the multiple parties of an accepted winning bid according to the votes cast, and notifies the commercial enterprise associated with the winning bid.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the controller element transmits a confirmation to multiple parties engaged in the reverse auction offer from the commercial enterprise submitting the winning bid, wherein the confirmation includes at least one among a reservation, a receipt, a map and directions.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the controller element receives a counteroffer from at least one of the commercial enterprises responsive to the reverse auction offer.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the controller element receives votes from multiple parties engaged in said reverse auction offer, accepts one of the counteroffers according to the votes cast, and notifies the commercial enterprise associated with the accepted counteroffer.

22. The system of claim 17, wherein the controller element receives from the communication device an acceptance of one of the bids.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the controller element informs the commercial enterprise of the acceptance for the winning bid.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the controller element:

receives a confirmation from the commercial enterprise;

determines directions to the commercial enterprise according to a known location of the commercial enterprise and the location fix; and

transmits to the communication device the confirmation with directions to the commercial enterprise.

25. The system of claim 15, wherein the system corresponds to at least one among a location system, and an auction system.

26. The system of claim 15, wherein the controller element:

retrieves presence information for each of the one or more commercial enterprises that match the desired commercial enterprise type and that are in the vicinity of the location fix;

disregards according to the presence information at least one of the commercial enterprises identified; and

transmits to the communication device information of the one or more commercial enterprises except the one or more commercial enterprises that have been disregarded.

27. A method used by a merchant, comprising receiving a reverse auction offer according to a vicinity of the merchant to a location fix of a communication device of an end user.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the reverse auction offer comprises a request for a desired good or service at a desired price.

29. The method of claim 28, comprising transmitting to the communication device an acceptance and confirmation of the reverse auction offer.

30. The method of claim 28, comprising transmitting to the communication device a counteroffer to the reverse auction offer.

31. The method of claim 29, comprising being presented with the confirmation by an end user of the communication device.

32. The method of claim 29, comprising being charged a fee by a system for accepting the reverse auction offer.